New Delhi:

The parliamentary panel reviewing the Waqf bill circulated a 655-page report today, incorporating all the changes suggested by its members. The Opposition, though, has alleged that none of its amendments have been incorporated.

Amid fears that the existing Waqf properties will be subject to scrutiny after the amended law comes into force, the committee has recommended that no cases will be reopened against such properties on a retrospective basis, provided the asset is not in dispute or belongs to the government.

The committee has accepted 14 amendments, which have been suggested by members of the BJP or its allies.

The bill proposes numerous changes to the way Waqf boards are administered, including nominating non-Muslim and (at least two) women members.

The bill also has a provision that says the central Waqf Council must include a union minister and three MPs, two ex-judges, four people of ‘national repute’, and senior government officials, none of whom need be from the Islamic faith.

Further, under the new rules the Waqf Council can’t claim land.

The Opposition leaders have also criticised the committee alleging a very short time has been allowed for studying the draft report.

The committee chaired by BJP leader Jagdambika Pal is expected to adopt the report on Wednesday.

“The parliamentary committee on Waqf Bill has been reduced to a farce. We were told that the draft report of the committee and its bill will be discussed tomorrow at 10 am. It is a 655-page report which has been sent to us just now,” said DMK leader A Raja.

Mr Raja said the MPs are expected to go through it, provide comments and submit dissent notes.

“This is simply not possible. What is the point of an independent parliamentary committee if the government does as it pleases anyway,” the former Union minister asked.

Key Provisions of the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025

• Two Muslim women will continue to be included as members in both the State Waqf Boards (Section 14) and the Central Waqf Council (Section 9) to ensure Muslim women’s empowerment and participation in waqf management.
•    The State Waqf Boards will now include one member from the Muslim OBC community, ensuring broader representation (Section 14).
•    The State Government may establish separate Waqf Boards for Aghakhani and Bohra communities, acknowledging their distinct religious needs (Section 13).
•    In Waqf Alal Aulad (family waqfs), women’s inheritance rights will be safeguarded. A waqif can dedicate property only after ensuring that female heirs receive their rightful share (Section 3A(2)).
•    Registered Waqf by User will continue to be recognized as waqf, except in cases where the property is under dispute or owned by the government (Section 3(r)).
•   The Limitation Act will apply to all waqf-related cases from the commencement of this Act, ensuring timely resolution and preventing prolonged litigation (Section 107).
•   The online registration process will be introduced to automate the entire life cycle of waqf properties through the portal.
•    Waqf Boards must upload all waqf property details on a central portal within six months. The Waqf Tribunal may grant extensions on a case-by-case basis.
•    If a government property is claimed as waqf, an officer above the rank of Collector, notified by the State Government, will conduct an inquiry as per the law. Until the report is submitted, such government properties will not be treated as waqf (Section 3C).
•   Muslim trusts that function similarly to waqf but are governed by trust laws will be excluded from the Waqf Act, 1995, preventing legal conflicts (Section 2A).
•   The income from Waqf Alal Aulad can be used to support widows, divorced women, and orphans, if specified by the waqif (Section 3(r)(iv)).
•   The finality of tribunal decisions has been removed. Any aggrieved person can now appeal to the High Court within ninety days of the tribunal’s decision.
•   Online registration certificates of waqf properties will be issued through the portal.
   

Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh:

The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday clarified that the State Waqf Board was dissolved due to certain concerns and that a new Board will be constituted at the earliest.

The coalition government’s clarification came amid reports in a section of the media that the State Waqf Board has been abolished.

The Fact Check Wing of the state government posted the clarification on X while reacting to a post by BJP leader Amit Malviya.

“Andhra Pradesh government strikes down the Waqf Board. There is no provision in the Constitution, which supports the existence of one in a secular India,” Malviya posted while reacting to a news channel’s report that the Andhra Pradesh government abolished the Waqf Board.

FactCheck.Ap.Gov.In, the official account of Fact Check Wing, in its post explained the reasons for the Government Order (G.O) issued on Saturday.

“The Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board has remained non-functional since March 2023, leading to a period of administrative stagnation. The withdrawal of G.O. Ms. No. 47 became imperative due to several substantive concerns. These include 13 writ petitions challenging its validity, the absence of adequate representation from Sunni and Shia scholars, the non-inclusion of former MPs, the appointment of junior advocates without transparent criteria, questions surrounding the eligibility of certain members, and the inability to elect a chairman owing to ongoing litigation,” reads the clarification.

“The GoAP will take appropriate measures to address these defects and constitute a new Waqf Board at the earliest,” it added.

The TDP-led coalition government on Saturday issued an order withdrawing an earlier order issued by the previous government of YSR Congress Party constituting the Waqf Board.

The then government headed by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy issued an order on October 21, 2023, constituting the 11-member Board. A MLA and a MLC were among the three elected members. The then government had also nominated eight members including two women.

As some individuals had approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court, challenging the nomination of members, the High Court in its order on November 1, 2023, stayed the election of the chairperson of the State Waqf Board.

The government’s move to dissolve the Waqf Board came after the Chief Executive Officer of the State Waqf Board brought to its attention the prolonged non-functioning of the Board and the pendency of writ petitions questioning the legality of G.O. Ms. No. 47 dated October 21, 2023, to resolve the litigations and prevent an administrative vacuum.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Opposition MPs have boycotted the Joint Parliamentary meeting to discuss the Waqf amendment bill and wrote to the Speaker demanding that the Committee chairman be removed. Alleging that the Committee is biased, they have sought time from the Speaker to discuss the issue. The Opposition members have alleged that a presentation on the bill by Anwar Manippadi, former Chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission and Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, was not about the Bill. Mr Anwar, they alleged, was just using the occasion malign the Karnataka government and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

“We have boycotted because the committee is not functioning with the principles and norms… In terms of ethics and principle, they are wrong,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 and amid massive objections from the Opposition, was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The committee — which has to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the end of the first week of the next parliament session — is now holding a series of informal discussions with various stakeholders.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied Waqf properties.

New Delhi:

Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP Thursday morning over proposed amendments to 44 sections of the Waqf Act of 1995, declaring the Bill a pretext to profit from sale of Waqf-owned lands and that the ruling outfit should rename itself ‘Bharatiya Zameen (land) Party’.

Mr Yadav’s sarcastic swipe came hours before Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tables the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act in the Lok Sabha.

The proposed amendments will change 44 sections of the older legislation, including allowing non-Muslims and Muslim women to be named to central and state Waqf bodies. Among other major proposed changes are omission of Section 40 from the existing law, which allows the Board to classify properties; this means it can, under current rules, declare any of its properties as Waqf.

“All these amendments… are just an excuse. Selling land (owned by) Defence Ministry, Railways, and Nazul land (i.e., land inherited from the colonial British government) is the target. Waqf Board lands are just another link in the chain of ‘schemes for the benefit of BJP’…” Mr Yadav said in Hindi on X.

‘वक़्फ़ बोर्ड’ का ये सब संशोधन भी बस एक बहाना है
रक्षा, रेल, नज़ूल लैंड की तरह ज़मीन बेचना निशाना है

वक़्फ़ बोर्ड की ज़मीनें, डिफ़ेंस लैंड, रेल लैंड, नज़ूल लैंड के बाद ‘भाजपाइयों के लाभार्थ योजना’ की शृंखला की एक और कड़ी मात्र हैं। भाजपा क्यों नहीं खुलकर लिख देती : ‘भाजपाई-हित… pic.twitter.com/VwK3YyWAG5

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 8, 2024

“Why doesn’t BJP openly write: ‘Issued in interest of BJP’? BJP is working like a real estate company. It should change its name by adding ‘Zameen’ instead of ‘Janta’: Bhartiya Zameen Party.”

Mr Yadav called for a “written guarantee that Waqf Board lands will not be sold”.

Waqf Boards across India own nearly eight lakh acres, making it the largest private land-owning organisation. The Defence Ministry and the Railways have more, but they are government-owned.

The proposal to alter the Waqf Act has been heavily criticised by the opposition and some members of the Muslim community, and fiery protests are likely when the amendments are tabled later today.

Earlier today, Congress MPs KC Venugopal and Hibi Eden filed notices to oppose introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha. Akhilesh Yadav’s party will also oppose the Bill.

NDTV Explains | Non-Muslims On Boards, Council Can’t Claim Land: Waqf Changes

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has given notice to oppose the amendments, claiming it is against rights guaranteed under the Constitution, including freedom to practice religion. “The amendments are discriminatory and arbitrary, and are a grave attack on the basic structure of the Constitution as it violates principle of judicial independence and separation of powers,” Mr Owaisi said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board said changes “will not be tolerated”. Spokesman SQR Ilyas said the government wants to change the status of Waqf properties so “possession is easier”. Also, the Tamil Nadu Board chief told NDTV called it a ploy to “weaken” and “destabilise” such organisations.

READ | ”No Need For Amendment”: Tamil Nadu Waqf Board On Centre’s Move

The government, however, has dismissed such claims.

Sources told NDTV the idea is to empower Muslim women and children who “suffered” under the old law. The objective, sources declared, is also to curb illegal occupancy of by Waqf boards.

READ | Waqf Law Change To Help Women, Say Government Sources

Sources also claimed a “dangerous narrative” is being manufactured by certain Muslim clerics who are making wild statements that their land will be snatched

The government, meanwhile, also wants the passage of the bill to be “inclusive” exercise, and is willing to send the amendments to a joint committee for further study, sources said.

The 1995 Wakf Act was passed to regulate ‘auqaf‘ (assets donated and notified as Waqf) by a ‘wakif’ (the person who dedicates the property). The legislation was last amended in 2013.

With input from agencies

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